The Top 5 Picks In The NFL Draft Should Almost Always Be Traded
Throughout history, NFL franchises have typically seen a top-five draft pick as their chance to get a franchise changing player. When in reality, a player who is drafted in the top five oftentimes will not have the right supporting cast and/or environment for them to live up to the expectations of being a high draft pick. A perfect example of a top draft pick who has yet to live up to the high expectations is Blake Bortles, ever since being drafted by the Jaguars in the 2014 draft, he has yet to lead the jaguars to their first 500 record since 2010. This is because the Jacksonville Jaguars haven't been able to get the right supporting cast around him as their offensive line hasn't been strong and/or quick enough to hold their blocks. As a result of this, Bortles does not have enough time to sit in the pocket and go thru his reads to make a good throw instead he has to get out of the pocket to try to avoid a negative play. To further illustrate this point, according to teamrankings.com Blake Bortles got sacked 3.2 times a game during the 2015 season.
In order for a rookie quarterback and/or wide receiver to be able to succeed in the NFL, they need the offensive line needs to hold their blocks for enough time so that the quarterback has time to make proper reads and a good throw to the wide receiver if they are unable to do this the quarterback most likely will feel pressure from the defensive line and either throw the ball up before he wants to or take a sack. On the other hand, for a rookie defensive player to be able to succeed in the NFL, they must have one or two solid to very good players alongside them. This will allow them to get more one on ones against an offensive lineman if they play on the defensive line because the opposing offensive line will most likely be double teaming the other players on the line. If they do not have one or two solid to very good players alongside them, they will most likely get discouraged because opposing offensive line will double team them. Eventually, these players may give up on some plays because they realize that they are not getting any pressure on the quarterback and their teammates are not doing that much better. Over time, they may develop a habit where they start to think that it is ok to give up on some plays because they know that they will get double teamed from opposing offensive line and will not be able to get any pressure on the quarterback.
Ultimately it is better if a team chooses to move back in the draft via trade because usually when a team has a top five draft pick that means the team has multiple needs to fill in the draft. As a result, moving back in the draft would be more beneficial to a team because it allows the team to be able to address more needs in one draft as well as lowering the expectations of the draft pick. This is because when a team drafts a player with a top five draft pick the fanbase views the player as the person who is going to change fortunes of the franchise. But in most cases, this player will not be able to live up to the expectations because the player does not have the right supporting cast around him. On the other hand, when a team moves back, the pressure of being the player who is going to change the fortunes of the franchise gets spread out over multiple players instead of just one. Moving back also creates a competitive environment within the team because the players who are drafted in the same draft are always looking to one up each other in any activity because each one of them hopes that they become stars and are not left behind.
